Turboslash – “Deathracer”

I assume we’ll someday be graced with an awesome movie that recaptures the vibe of an ’80s action film, cheese and all. The hero drives a convertible down the Miami coast, with neon lights reflecting off the ocean to his left, as he slowly tails a drug kingpin also responsible for the death of his beloved mentor. Or something cheesy like that. Plot isn’t exactly a priority for nostalgic trips like these. Atmosphere plays a large role — especially the music, which may or may not be emanating from a shoddy cassette tape in that convertible. We’ll take a soundtrack in that instance, and in that regard it would be hard to think of anything more suitable than Turboslash’s debut track, “Deathracer”.

I should have known what I was getting into when I saw Turboslash’s location on SoundCloud listed as “Miami 80’s, United States.” They sure capture that vibe with this full-throttle piece of pulsating electronica, which is vocal-less but manages to throw plenty of punches with whirring synth arpeggios, intensely hypnotic bass and percussion, and a fiercely exciting melody that Michael Mann would have loved to implement in the ’80s. It’s hard to believe this is Turboslash’s debut single. They seem to have their stylistic aim and production values down pat. They classify themselves as a “synthwave trio from ’80s” — so it’s cool to see they used that time machine well.